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Homemade Potato Gnocchi ~ pillowy soft, delicious potato dough dumplings ~ if that description doesn’t grab you right away, maybe you’ll be enticed by how simple they are to make! Cooked like pasta and combined with your favorite sauce, this Italian staple is a must make right in your own kitchen.

This Potato Gnocchi recipe first appeared on RecipeGirl where I’m a contributor and occasionally post delicious recipes!

Super easy to make, and fun to shape and roll, there are no bad gnocchi dumplings to be had. Trust me when I say, nobody will care if they’re not completely uniform in size, just make sure there are little pockets and ridges to hold the sauce. Watch our quick video to see how to shape the gnocchi!

If you don’t own an inexpensive potato ricer, now would be a great time to pick one up.

Pushing cooked potatoes through the ricer gives gnocchi (pronounced noh-kee) a fluffiness you won’t get from mashing. The ricer also helps take your everyday mashed potatoes to a whole new level of deliciousness!

You don’t have to make ridges in your gnocchi with a fork, it’s perfectly acceptable to just press a finger in the middle of each little pillow to create a pocket.

You may have seen the small wooden boards made specifically for creating ridges in homemade gnocchi. I haven’t had much luck using mine and prefer the fork method. It’s so easy!

Did I mention that gnocchi freezes beautifully?

Place the formed dumplings on a parchment lined baking sheet and flash freeze for about an hour. Gather the frozen gnocchi and place them in a freezer bag for later use.

Warm your favorite sauce in a skillet and add the cooked gnocchi for a delicious, filling and authentic Italian treat.

Once cooked and drained, gnocchi can also be sautéed in olive oil until browned then served with fresh herbs, cheese and a little lemon. Another delicious option is to toss gnocchi in fresh basil pesto or brown lightly in sage infused butter. There are so many wonderful ways to enjoy gnocchi – but marinara is my favorite 🙂

Be sure to season your potato gnocchi like you would mashed potatoes. Plenty of black pepper and a little salt does the trick. Don’t forget the Parmesan and fresh basil leaves – yum!

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Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

Yield:

Course: Main Course

Author: Tricia

Pin Recipe Print Recipe Rate Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Pillowy soft, delicious potato dough dumplings great served with your favorite sauce, a little cheese and fresh herbs.

Ingredients

2 large Russet potatoes (1 ¼ lbs)
1 tablespoon (heaping) ricotta cheese
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

To serve:

Grated Parmesan cheese
basil leaves
marinara sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash the potatoes and wrap tightly in foil. Place the potatoes on a baking stone or sheet pan and bake for 90 minutes or until soft. Remove from the oven, unwrap immediately and cool until easily handled (but still somewhat warm.)
Peel the potatoes and discard the skin. Press the warm, cooked potatoes through a ricer onto a clean work surface, or gently mash.
Add the ricotta cheese to the pile of riced potatoes and gently work in just until lightly distributed. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and gently fold together until combined. Don’t smash the potatoes, but mix with your hands using a gentle folding method. Make a well in the center of the potatoes and add the lightly beaten egg. Work in the egg and continue mixing to form a soft smooth dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough! The dumplings will end up dense and won’t expand when cooked if it’s overworked.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. (SEE NOTE BELOW)
Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a log about ¾-inch in diameter. Flour a table knife or kitchen scraper and cut each log into ½-inch to ¾-inch gnocchi pillows. To shape the gnocchi, either press gently in the center with your finger or roll down the back of a fork (see video) to make ridges.
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat just a little and add some of the shaped gnocchi. Be sure you don’t crowd the pot - so cook in batches depending on the size of your pot. The gnocchi cooks quickly, in about 2 minutes, and rises to the top of the water when done. Remove the floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon and transfer to a clean, dry baking sheet to dry while cooking the remaining dough. When cooked, the gnocchi should puff up or swell and have a pillowy soft texture when eaten.
Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

If there’s not enough flour in the dough, the gnocchi will fall apart when boiled. Before forming all the gnocchi, you can test one piece in the boiling water to make sure it will hold together.
To freeze gnocchi, place the shaped dough in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for about an hour then transfer to a freezer safe container. Use within 30 days. To serve gnocchi, add to your favorite warmed sauce and serve immediately.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

Nutrition

Looking for a few ways to use gnocchi? Try some of these wonderful recipes:

With a silky, creamy broth, tender chunks of chicken, loads of fresh spinach and pillowy soft gnocchi, our Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is comforting, easy to make and super satisfying! Click HERE to get the recipe for Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup.

You’re going to love this comforting, filling and delicious Hearty Beef and Gnocchi Soup. Our chunky soup is worthy of an entire meal, especially when served with a hunk of crusty bread to sop up all the delicious broth! Click HERE to get the recipe for Hearty Beef and Gnocchi Soup.

Here are a few of our favorite kitchen tools used to make the gnocchi (click on each photo for more information)

If you decide to purchase something at Amazon after following my affiliate link, I receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, which I use to pay for web hosting and services for this blog. Thanks for keeping SRFD in the kitchen!

Finally, we love delicious and easy Italian inspired recipes like our favorite Bucatini Puttanesca – Spicy One-Pot Pasta that comes together in minutes! In the summer when basil is growing like a weed, we love to make this super easy Basil Pesto Cream with Tortellini. It’s loaded with flavor! Once you’ve made your own gnocchi, you may want to try different ways to serve it. One Skillet Sausage & White Bean Gnocchi ~ from Chelsea’s Messy Apron is on the table in 30 minutes flat! Foodie Crush set the bar pretty high with this gorgeous Gnocchi With Pomodoro Sauce. And, I’m excited to try this Baked Gnocchi Casserole in Creamy Tomato Sauce ~ from Spend With Pennies too.

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